The licking won't stop!!

[Sam&Bella]

Hello everybody! I have a problem! (well its Bella's problem ) She is constantly licking her paws, and it won't stop. She just had a vet appointment and we asked the her about it, and she said we can give her  benedryl. We haven't started that yet but we will. She also  said that  Bella might have an allergy to something. But to add on to that, we noticed that she somehow doing "doodley" things, jammed the webbed part of her paw. Now its all red and swollen. She doesn't seem to care so much except for the licking and biting. And, she has started to itch the rest of her body, but not constantly. Please Help!!!

As I am writing this, she is on her back, biting her paws!

[Jess]

Jack did this as well in the Spring and I looked at the webbing and it was red/pink with little dots/bumps

I waited and he stopped doing it. Once in a while he does but no near as much.... I read about it too and just hoped it was an allergy thing..... 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Paw licking is a major symptom of seasonal allergies. In dogs, allergies cause intense itching, and the paws are one of the primary locations. There are a few things you can do to help relieve the itching; if it continues, the licking can cause a moist dermatitis (hot spots) and an infection that will need to be treated with steroids. Many of us here have dogs with this condition, which is called Atopic Dermatitis, which is an inherited, immune-mediated incurable condition that gets worse with age, and many of us have our dogs under the care of a veterinary dermatology specialist, as GP vets are not well trained in treating this. (For example, Benadryl is not the best choice of antihistamine for most atopic dogs). Atopy runs in Labs and Goldens. 

Here's some info: 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

From the above discussion, some tips on managing the symptoms: 

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don;t buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

[DonMarie and Picco]

Check what you are feeding....not just food but treats.  Picco gets hot spots from pigs ears - not pork but the other crap ingredients!  He gets only real meat pieces or natural or homemade biscuits.  Giving a teaspoon of local honey every day may help too.

You might try putting socks on her to help deter licking.

[Sam&Bella]

I would put on socks but, she has an obsession! She chews them until they are in threads!

I will try as many things as I can. I will let you all know what happens! Thank You for all the advice!! :^)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I personally feel that using socks to keep them from licking is cruel. Imagine that you have chicken pox or mosquito bites that are itching intensely, and someone "treats" that by restraining your hands to keep you from scratching. The goal should be to alleviate the unbearable itching so that the dog isn't suffering and doesn't need to lick or bite to try to get some relief. 

You can also skip the honey, it won't do a thing except add extra calories and sugars to her diet. The theory behind giving honey is to desensitize the dog to the pollens that may be causing the itching. The problem with that is, honey is made from flower pollens, and those aren't the ones that cause allergy symptoms, especially at this time of year.  Some good info on this here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/using-local-honey-to-battl...

[Richard Costa]

We had s Goldendoodle for almost 11 years with same issues. It was clearly diagnosed as allergies and unfortunately she was most allergic to Wool and Dust Mites. We tried antihistamines regularly but did not see much impact. She did get relief a few times per year from  prescription Temperal P. It is a steroid, so it is not recommended for continuous ongoing usage.

Overall, the allergies were a pain but she lived a happy life none the less.

Rich

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle has allergies. She sneezes and scratches. I feed her Orijen Six Fish. It really helped with the scratching. Sometime after I started feeding her that, the scratching all but stopped. I also bathe her once a week with this...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048Z73TY/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_15...